Drawing Under the Influence - Pastel Drawings by Alex Ariza, 2022 - 2024

The Toilet Bowl at Elmwood Manor, Soft Pastel on Canson Paper 12 x 16 inches, Alex Ariza Art 2022 

This carefully rendered pastel drawing of the artist's bathroom features neutral colors, browns and grays to capture the mundane nature of the subject matter. The viewer is looking downward and sees a corner of a bathtub and shower curtain on the left hand side of the image and the toilet bowl with the seat down. To the right you can see a toilet paper roll and above a window with blue hues suggesting a nighttime scene. The artist's sense of humor comes through with this scene as the viewer cannot help but ask, what's in the bowl? 

The Artist's Shoerack, Soft Pastel on Canson Paper 12 x 16 inches, Alex Ariza Art 2022

This loosely drawn pastel sketch shows an assortment of boots and sneakers on the artist's shoerack. The minimal use of color and brisk marks capture the scene with a sense of immediacy and recklessness. 

The Kitchen at Elmwood Manor, Soft Pastel on Canson Paper, Alex Ariza Art 2022

This carefully rendered pastel drawing of the artist's kitchen features a brightly lit kitchen with a chair pulled out from the table alongside an open dishwasher. This drawing captures the warm light and colors of the mundane in a specific moment in time. 

The Hallway at Elmwood Manor is a Liminal Space, Soft Pastel on Canson Paper 12 x 16 inches, Alex Ariza, 2022

This minimally drawn hallway captures the eerie quality of sitting at the end of a dark hallway with two closed doors. The viewer is left to question where these doors may lead. This is a quiet scene with muted limited colors leaving the viewer with a sense of unease and mystery.

Capturing the Light in the Living Room, Soft Pastel on Canson Paper 12 x 16 inches, Alex Ariza, 2022

This pastel drawing shows a lamp on a table. At the far right, a window with a blue hue suggests that it is nighttime. The artist is up late staring at light reflected off the walls. In the foreground, a rack of guitars are loosely drawing next to the table.

Bathroom Living Room Split, Soft Pastel on Canson Paper 12 x 16 inches, Alex Ariza, 2022

Portrait of Abuelita Rosa, Soft Pastel on Canson Paper 12 x 16 inches, Alex Ariza 2023

The Meadow at Genesee Valley Park, Rochester NY, Plein Air Soft Pastel Drawing on 12 x 16 inch Canson Paper, Alex Ariza 2022

The Back Loading Dock of the Memorial Art Gallery, Plein Air Soft Pastel Drawing on Canson paper 12 x 16 inches, Alex Ariza, 2024

This pastel drawing of the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, NY captures the light from the sun setting. The verdant garden behind the museum covers the left side of the drawing. The walls of the building show the sharp contrast between the lit planes and the walls covered in a blue tinted shadow.

Wendigo Painting by Alex Ariza 2023

 

Wendigo in the Snow Acrylic Painting by Alex Ariza 2023

The Wendigo is a creature from Native American folklore, specifically the Algonquians. The Wendigo represented insatiable greed, winter, and famine. It is traditionally depicted as a gaunt giant with icy features, which this painting captures by elongating the creature's limbs and placing it in a gray and snowy winter setting. In this acrylic painting by Alex Ariza, the Wendigo has just killed a deer biting down on its neck. The Wendigo has a sickly appearance meant to represent famine. It has antlers similar to a deer. The body of the Wendigo is dark and covered in a brown fur. The snow has small drops of blood spilled from the deer. The frost covered evergreen trees surround the scene peacefully below a mountain. The sky is overcast and snowy.

Detail of Wendigo Painting by Alex Ariza

Sleep Paralysis Painting by Alex Ariza

Sleep Paralysis Assignment Prompt

Create a double page spread; dimensions are 8.5 inches by 22 inches. Imaginary client / publication is Playboy Magazine.

During sleep paralysis you're aware of your surroundings but can't move your body or speak. Hallucinations are common and often includes feeling a threatening presence, pressure on the chest, or out-of-body sensations. Historical depictions of sleep paralysis included demonic or supernatural creatures such as the incubus or succubus. Some parts of the world describe visions of an "Old Hag" or ghost oppression.

Some patients described the sensation as "a devil laying upon their chest."

The most famous painting depicting sleep paralysis is Henry Fuseli's, The Nightmare.

Sleep Paralysis by Alex Ariza

Sleep Paralysis by Alex Ariza 2008, acrylic paint and ink on paper

This painting, Sleep Paralysis, by Alex Ariza, features a nude horse headed woman sitting on top of a male victim experiencing sleep paralysis. The man is conscious but unable to move or run away as his body is still asleep. The room features two doors with the one closest to the viewer slightly ajar. This is to build the psychological tension of an exit so close by, but unable to be reached by the victim due to their paralysis. The wall paper is striped and can be read as prison bars or a baby crib, further heightening the psychological tension of the inability to escape. The ceiling is ambiguous and dark like a thunderstorm is about to form. The horse headed woman figure is unnaturally colored to portray the supernatural quality of the sleep paralysis phenomenon. This painting draws inspiration from the historical depictions of sleep paralysis by including the presence of a horse. The decision to make the figure a nude woman is to align the image to the client publication, Playboy, while also paying homage to Fuseli's painting which was initially criticized for its overt sexuality upon first viewing in 1781 at the Royal Academy of London.

The Nightmare, Johann Heinrich Fuseli 1781